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I think if you find yourself wedded to a mac, the refurbs are a deal when available. This 15 inch macbook pro came in at $1500. They currently have the 13 inch macbooks under $1K.
That said, were I not, I'd probably could have gotten a comparable pc new for less. (Just guessing, because I didn't even look because I'm really not as comfortable on that platform.)
The conventional wisdom on pricing is that Macs have a higher initial cost, but lower cost of ownership over time -- you can do more with what comes in the box, fewer repairs, longer life overall, etc. and so on. Mileage (and actual use patterns) may vary, of course.
(But I should also note that I really don't know PC pricing -- I do either Mac laptops or build-your-own-Frankenboxes with lots of baling twine and duct tape and Linux.)
The magsafe does appeal...I've been snarling at our current laptop on a daily basis over the stupid plug thing. This is the third time it's gone bad, and now it's not under warranty anymore.
Sounds like a visit to the UW Bookstore is in order. It looks like they're offering a rebate if you purchase a MacBook and an iPod together...
When I'm buying if I actual purchase truly comparable machines, I usually end up within about $200. Sometimes this favors the PC, sometimes it favors the Mac. While I have a couple of pretty old Toshibas this are still running great, typically I get about 2 years more use out of my long term macs.
Yeah, you can basically get a Nano for free. I did this last year I think, I've got a little 8 GB Nano that lives in the work truck due to it.
I know people who love their Asus, but I would look into opinions about the keyboard size.
I need to upgrade at least one of them to Vista.
Unless there's a program you
really
need that is Vista-only, I wouldn't...and I'm sure ita would agree.
I've been using Ubuntu Hardy Heron on my desktop for over a month now (a record for me!) and I have no intention of ever going back to Microsoft. A couple of days ago I also installed it on my laptop aifg.
There's this Toshiba in the 5 lbs range for $700.
[link]
I ordered an MSI Wind, for $475. It hasn't shipped yet; it's been sitting in my Amazon queue for weeks.
How much is a netbook capable of without the net?